Switch target



P. SWANSON SWITCH TARGET Oct. s, 1929.

2 Sheets-Sheel l Filed July 9. 1927 Oct. 8, 1,929. P. swANsoN SWITCH TARGET Filed lJuly 9. 1927 2 .Sheets-Sheenl 2 Patented Oct. 8, 1929 PALENTl OFFICE PETER SWANSON, OF ELY, MINNESOTA SWITCH TARGET Application filed July 9,

This invention relates to switches and has special reference to a novel combination oi' switch stand target and operating means therefor.

The principal object of my present invention is to provide a safer and more positively' acting target for switch stands.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will appear in the further description thereof. f

Referring now tothe accompanying draw ings, forming part of this application, and wherein like reference characters indicate like parts:

Figure 1 is a broken perspective view of the upper end of a switch stand and stati having one of the improved targets or signalling devices attached thereto;

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view ot the telescopic target operating rod;

Figure 3 is a perspective interior view of the operating lever lock;

Figure 4l is a transverse sectional view oi the lock showing a portion of same in elevation; and

Figure 5 bolt.

1 represents the top of a common railroad switch stand which is oi' the type wherein the cap 2 of the stand is vertically7 reciprocable by the operating or throwing lever 3, so that when the switch is once thrown in either direction and the lever is in its closed position the position of the switch will be positively determined by the squared depending oblique portion 4 of the cap 2 entering the similarly shaped recess 5 in the head of the switch stand. Protruding laterally from the cap 2 is vthe lock carrying dog G which when the handle S is in closed position protrudes intermediate of the biiurcated'arms 7 of the lever and the lock is usually attached through the hole in the dog 6 for preventing unauthorized movement o'f the lever.

This portion of the switch stand is in no wise changed for the installation of the invention which resides more particularly in the target, the iiat body portion of which is :indicated at 8 and which is made of any suitis a top plan rview of the locking if. able t-liill mauri, having 'the large Cilfizulal 1927. Serial No. 204,547.

bullseye 9 indicated upon both sides thereof. Upon either side of this body portion 8 is formed an arrow-like member 1() disposed at right angles to the body portion and the ends of these arrow-like members aii'ord 'a pivotal connection 'for the target by the bolt or rod 11 passing therethrough and externally thereof, through the right angularly bent ends 12 of the supporting bar 13 which is secured to the switch stati ll by a suitable U-shaped bolt 15 surrounding the same. Upon the uppermost corners oit the heads of the arrow members 10 are angularly shaped projections 16 which when the target is in its uppermost position as shown in Figure 1 abut against the upper edge oi the body portion of the cross bar 13 so as to positively define the upper position of the target. Upon the extreme upper or free end or' the body portion of the target is formed an extension 17 having a hole therethrough carrying a re'd kglass indicated at 18 so that when the target is in its uppermost position this glass covered hole` will be presented directly in iront of the clear light of the lantern 19, which is of the common variety, mounted upon the upper end of the switch staff 14, so that when the target is in this signalling position a red light will be displayed, providing, of course the switch light is in action.

To the lower substantially central body portion 8 of the target is pivotally attached as at 2O the target operating rod comprising the enlarged tubular member' 21 into which theupper end oit the rod 22 is inserted, after the'insertion of the expansive helical spring 23 within the rod 21. Adjacent the upper end of the rod 22 vis formed an elongated slot 24, and when the rod 22 is properly positioned within the tube 21 a holding bolt or pin 25 is installed through suitable holes in the tube 21, so that the two members are permanently telescoped, but yieldable in respect to their telescopic effect, they being movable in unison only after some considerable compression of the spring, so that when the lever 3 after being unlocked from the cap oi the stand has been elevated only a portion oi? its entire travel the target will be completely elevated and on. a further lifting of the lever 3 so as to turn same in the throwing of the switch the spring 23 will have to yield in order to permit of such action, thus always insuring a complete danger' signalling of the target whenever the lever ot the switch has been materially elevated. lr" the switch is thrown, say for a siding, and theY lever lowered to closed position, the target will assume a horizontal position, but with the arrows l0 which are painted red in direct horizontal position indicating that the switch is thrown for the siding. @n the other hand, when the switch is thrown for clearance of the main line, the target appears in horizontal position but presenting' an end View both ot the arrows and the bod, f portion to the main line, result-ing in an all clear signal with the least appearance of the target possible, it being understood that the lower end oi the rod 22 is pivotally connected as at 26 to the switch operating lever 3.

an automatic loclring means for the lever 3 l have provided the rectangularly shaped housing 27 mounted upon one ot the bifurcations 'Y oit the lever, said housing carrying thek locking bolt comprising the horizontal portion 28 rotatably mounted within the walls ot the housing and the outwardlyy extending irregularly shaped portion 29 terminating in the linger 30 disposed at an angle to the portion 28, and which is designed to become engaged within the hole 3l within the lug 6 of the switch cap 2 when the lever is in its lowermost position.

The control of the locking bolt is aecomplished as follows:

Pivotallj, mounted at is the i shaped within the housing as dog 88, the depending portion of which is designed to drop by gravity, and, if desired, assisted by the expansive helical spring 35 which impinges against the upper covering ot the housing 2'?, into the recess between the wall ot the housing and the portion 28 oi the locking bolt 'formed by the flattened or cutout portion 86 on the bolt, this action of the dog only occurring when the ent 30 of the bolt is directly beneath the port-ion 28, that is, in its locked position as clearly shown in Figure l ot the drawings. vBeneath the doo' 83 is the ordinary lrey hole indicated at 3f and into which a lrey may be thrust for raising the dog 38 out oit such loelring engagement intermediate oit the bolt and the housing wall, which will permit oi the bolts being unlocked manually by the portion 29 being raised in relation to the portion 28, thus swinging the tree end 8O trom its locked position. TWhen the bolt is in this latter or unlocked position the rotation ot the portion 28 ot the bolt bri into vert-ical alignment with the wall ot the housing the flattened or cutout portion 38 and into which recess formed by such acion is thrust the upwardly extending tree end 89 or" the dog d() which is pivotally mounted as at ll and has formed integrally therewith the weighted end Ll2 which, by gravity, accomplishes its action and may be assisted in saine by the use ot any desired form ot sp ing as indicated at ln this manner the lool-ring bolt retained in its unloclred position automatically until the switch handle 8 is thrust downwardly for engagement with the lug 6 ot the switch stand 2, and when this occurs the position of the dog el@ is such as to result in the arcuately shaped weighted end l2 the upstanding pin Llelcarried by the lug G on the switch stand, and this engagement occurs just prior to the registering oi' the tree end 8O oit the locking boltwith the hole. 3l in the lug and as such engagement will withdraw the upwardly extending end 39 of the dog d() from its holding engagement with the portion 28 of the bolt the iiree end oit the latter will drop either by gravity, spring action, or both, into its locked position with the lug 6. To produce such spring action. l have shown the ilat spring as being carried vertically in the portion 28 ot t ie bolt with its tely sh ed end constantly bearing r wall oit the housing so that i ng of the portion 28 of the bolt by upward swinging or unlocking ot' the tree 4end thereof will increase the action ot said spring in an effort to return the bolt to normalcy.

As a means tor limiting the throw of the portion 29 ot the bolt the extreme edffe 46 ot the end or the housino` is bent outwardly at an angle with a cutaway portion 4T therein through which the bent portion 29 ot the bolt extends and is limited in either rdirection thereby.

As a preierred form of locking bolt construction l have shown the extreme end 8O which engages the hole 8l in the lug 6 of the switch stand as being disposed at an angle ot approximately 8O degrees from the axis of the portion 28 as viewed in Figure 5 of the drawings, and I prefer to have the hole 8l in the lug 6 disposed at a similar angle so that any thrust or unintentional lift upon the switch handle will have a tendency to augment the holding st-ress ot' the loc-king bolt, and while l have illustrated the combination of automatic locking devices for the holt it is evident that the simple locking bolt itself may be employed on a switch handle it dcsired, for example, on yard switches.

Frein the above it is apparent that l have devised an exceedingly simple and el'icient switch signal or target and controlling means therefor, the automatic locking device acting a secure means against incorrect signalling the target, and the peculiar shape et' the overhanging portion 29 ot the locking holt is such as to provide convenient means i'or raising same by hand.

rom the foregoing it is evident that when lOO it is desired to throw the switch, assuming it to be in locked position, the key is inserted through the hole 37 and turned in clockwise direction7 lifting the free end of the dog 33 troni its locking position intermediate of the flattened portion 36 and wall ot the housing` 27, so that the bolt 28 may be readily rotated ianually by graping the protruding portion 2S) ot' the bolt which will withdraw the portion 3() of said holt 'from the hole 3l and permit the handle to be raised and the switch turned. When the bolt is .in this unlocked position, the iiattened portion 38 will be presented above the portion BS) of the dog i0 when V 'it will autoinatically enter same either by the countorweight 4:2 on the opposite end of the doo' el() or the spring 48, or both, so that the looming bolt will be thus held in unlocked poration until the switch handle is returned to its enga gement with the lug 6 on the switch stand, and. on doing so that rounded portion o't the end of the dog will engage the upstanding pin Ll-.Ll and thus release the dog from its holding position in respect to the bolt 28 allowing the latter to freely rotate bach to locked position with the terminus 30 of said bolt within the hole 31, in which position the iiiree end ot the dog 83 will again drop into the space provided by the cutaway portion 3G when the key is removed.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. An automatic catch for switch levers comprising a housing carried by the lever, a rotatable engaging bolt carried in the housing, and means Jr'or automatically locking the bolt in either engaged or disengaged position.

2. The combination with a railroad switch stand having a projecting lug with a hole therein tor cooperative engagement with a witch throwing lever, of an automatic catch for said lever coi'nprising a housing carried by the lover, a rotatable locking bolt mounted within the housing and having a free hooklilie locking terminus whereby any lifting stress on the lever prior to the unhooking of the catch will augment the holding action of same.

8. A switch lever lock of the type described comprising a housing carried by the lever, a bolt one end of which is rotatably mounted within the housing and the opposite endmade swingablc in respect thereto with the terminus oi" the swingable end disposed at sul stantially an 8O degree angle to the axial line ot the rotatable portion for the purpose described.

Ll. An automatic switch lever catch for a switch stand having a lug with a hole disposed obliquely therethrough, said catch being disposed at such an angle to register With said hole as to augment its holding engage 

